Rhinelander - Hunters kicked off the wolf hunting season Tuesday. But you may be surprised not all of the permits have been bought. Out of 1,600 applicants, 2,500 permits were issued for this year's hunt and only 1,500 of those have been sold. But DNR Large Carnivore Specialist David MacFarland doesn't think that's due to a lack of interest."People really don't start buying licenses until they are ready to go out and harvest and I do the same thing. The first time I went grouse hunting this year I had to run out and buy a license before I went. So we think we'll see the same thing with the wolf harvest." The DNR says the permits almost never sell out completely, no matter what type of hunting season is in place.Even though this is the second year of wolf hunting, the controversy over the season is still as high as ever says MacFarland."It's a polarizing issue. There are people in the state who are very happy with what's happening. They think it's long over due that wolves should have been hunted long ago and that the population should be reduced. There are also people in the state who believe that wolves shouldn't be harvested. That problem wolves should be dealt with in other ways and that the population should be able to grow beyond what it is now." There are more than 800 wolves in the state. The DNR wants that number to eventually go down to 350. It set this years kill limit at 251.